“The Kafala System Is Facilitating Labor Abuses in the Middle East”

…This effort was impressive in theory, but it mattered little in practice—especially after the World Cup ended. Despite Qatar’s attempts at reform, thousands of migrant laborers in the country still face unsafe working conditions, unpaid or delayed wages, and inadequate means to address grievances against their employers. Even after Qatar’s abolition of the system in 2019, migrant laborers working on the construction of World Cup venues were outdoors for long hours in the hot summer months, refused rest days, and inhibited from unionizing…

Lebanon is another abuser of the kafala system. The country hosts approximately 250,000 migrant laborers, many of whom work in private homes…

The kafala system gives kafeels complete control over migrant laborers and their legal status in ways that undermine the contractual basis of the system…

… the system also violates the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, among other international law protections…

…These remittances not only are a significant contribution to these countries’ economies; they are also an incentive for these countries not to challenge the kafala system that enables this flow of funds…